12 Creative Ways to Use the Space Under Your Stairs

Hugh Jefferson Randolph Architects designed a surprisingly spacious home office under the stairs of this Greek Revival cottage in Austin. Who doesn’t love an office with a sloped ceiling?

Designs Northwest Architects built a powder room beneath the staircase of the "Tsunami House" on Washington’s Camano Island. When your footprint is a mere 30 by 30 feet, below the staircase is a perfect place to tuck in a bathroom.

Annie Fitzgerald and Maria von Hartz of Von Fitz Design created this hobbit-sized hideaway underneath the stairs. The miniature door blends in seamlessly with the lacquered paneling to give the room a fun, secret vibe.

Turn the space under your stairs into an exposed wine cellar, such as this one from Canadian design firm Beyond Beige. The backlit space stores wine and bottled beverages to create an industrial yet rustic ambience.

You can’t go wrong with a built-in bookcase underneath your stairs. As part of a larger home renovation, Lynn Donaldson & Associates built this grid of cubbies perfect for storing books in an orderly display.

Give your pooch a space to call his own. Keechi Creek Builders in Houston, Texas, customized this under-stairs space into a kennel and attached a door provided by the owners.

Bright chalk paint, cozy carpeting and fun throw pillows are all you need to make a play area under the stairs. AMEK Custom Builders created this kid-friendly space to help incorporate a curving stairway into a total basement remodel.

The owners of this 1920s Georgian home wanted quick access to laundry facilities without having to do a big remodel. The Wills Company, a design-build firm in Nashville, offered a solution by creating a laundry space underneath a back stairwell, complete with cabinet and counter.

Bulk up on storage space by building large drawers underneath your staircase. Red House Remodeling in Des Moines, Iowa, custom-built these rustic drawers as part of a large basement remodel.

You don’t need four walls and a door to boast a library in your home. Wade Design Architects nestled a simple library underneath the stairs in this Sonoma retreat.

The lower level of this Calgary home features a playhouse for kids, complete with its own Dutch door. The design, conceived by Marre Design, places the playhouse right next to the den to make for the perfect family entertainment space.